THE SOUTH POLE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 1021, 21 March 1912, Page 3

THE SOUTH POLE.

Sydney. March iq

Dr. Mawsou, writing to Professor David, from Adele Land, states that his party encountered remarkably heavy pack ice, and their explorations and observations were greatly hampered by dense fogs.

Mr Murphy, leader of the third party, writing to his parents, reports that the Aurora dragged her anchors at the South end ot Macquarie Island, and bumped on the rocks, nearly being wrecked. Hobart, March 19.

Captain Amundsen, speaking before a meeting of the Royal Society, said he considered Sir James Ross held the first place as an Arctic and Antarctic explorer. Referring to the Pole, he stated it was better to wait before they credited the speaker with being the first to reach the South Pole, as Captain Scott might have another story to tell. If Captain Scott did not actually get there, he was sure to return with good results.

STEERING BY THE STARS.

An interesting description is given by Amundsen in his “Northwest Passage,” of his sensations on discovering that Franklin Strait, in which his little ship, the Gjoa, was sailing, was in reality a con; nection with a virgin open sea. “By nine o’clock at night we were off Prescott Island in the straits, This island became a landmark on our voyage. The needle of the compass, which had been gradually losing its capacity for self-adjustment, now absolutely declined to act. We were thus reduced to steering by the stars, like our forefathers, the Vikings, This mode of navigation is of doubtful security, even in ordinary waters, but it is worse here, where the sky, lor two-thirds ol the time, is veiled in impenetrable fog. However, we were lucky enough to start in clear weather. Outside the promontories, some pieces of ice had accumulated, otherwise the sea was free from ice. Next day we had a good lesson in our new code of navigation, as clear weather alternated with fog all day long. For the sake of my comrades, I maintained a calm demeanour as usual, but inwardly much agitated. We were now fast approaching the De la Roquette Islands; they were already in sight. This was the point that Sir Allen Young reached with the Pandora in 1875, but here he encountered an invincible barrier of ice. Were we and the Gjoa to meet the same fate ?

“Then, as 1 walked, I felt something like an irregular lurching motion, and I stopped in surprise. I would not have sold this slight motion for any amount of money. It was a swell under the boat, a swell —a message from the open sea. The water to the south was open —the impenetrable wall of ice was not these.”